Cause I've been thinking bout forever
by Romance on Express
Summary: Aesthetically they might not have much in common, but then that's not the important thing at all when it comes to liking someone.


Fills the femslash february trope square Blind Date.

Title from the Frank Ocean song Thinking About You.

* * *

Penny's reserved to spending the remainder of her life in the valley. She's heard stories about what the city does to people, listened when her mother said people there will not hesitate to lead someone like her astray. Haley would loudly lament on how wonderful the glamour and fashion sounds compared to their little village, but with no offense to Haley it didn't sound remotely like Penny's cup of tea. Between the two varying reasons, and others she's heard from people over the years, Penny is to an extant willing to do nothing and go nowhere.

She has friends and hobbies, enough of a roof over her head and food to keep her healthy. Vincent and Jas keep her busy and fit and the museum's books keep her mind sharp. The more she does the less time she has to think that she might be missing out on something.

-—-—-

Abigail doesn't want her life to get away from her. She wants to control what comes in and goes out of it, and more than anything she wants her parents to acknowledge that. She's her own person, with dreams and aspirations. They love her, she knows, and truly Abigail loves them back, but it's as if they forgot what it was like to be young. While she doesn't mind the store, or the town itself, she feels like she's made for more. What's worse is that they've stopped telling her "when you're older, we'll talk", now they've been considering letting her go out into the world, and she's stuck playing a balancing act to edge them over into saying "yes" without pushing them into "no".

Stardew would always be her home, and she could never leave it for long, but Abigail wants to see more, taste more, before she settles down.

-—-—-

"If you had to marry anyone in the village, who would you pick?"

Penny looks over at Sam's relaxed position against her favourite tree in Pelican Town, and though he doesn't look it she's sure he must have just lost mind in the afternoon heat.

"What?"

"You have to marry someone from Stardew," he repeats, shrugging his shoulders. "Who do you pick?"

Penny shifts on the ground, knees itching from the long grass. "Um… I don't know."

"You don't know? Didn't you say you want kids? Who with?"

"I guess… if I must, I can adopt, or- I don't know. Why?"

"I'd pick you or Abigail. Sebastian and I came up with this game."

"Oh… okay."

"It doesn't mean anything," he says a little quickly, then tilts his upper half closer to Penny with a contemplative expression. "Unless you want it to?"

Her eyebrows draw together and she hopes he doesn't feel offended by her instinctual lean away from him. "No?"

"Oh. Okay then." He shrugs again and the awkward moment passes. "I just never see you with anyone else, and you never talk about liking anyone as much as you talk about wanting kids."

"I consider you a good friend, but I don't like you like that."

"What about Maru?" Sam askes, and his tone betrays that this might be an interrogation.

"Same with Maru."

"Hmm… okay then."

And like that he's off on another topic. It's not the most bizarre experience she's had with Sam – he thinks of the strangest things sometimes, but she's still thinking about the conversation when she goes home later.

-—-—-

It's Friday night and the boys are playing pool as usual, bickering over something Abigail isn't really following along with. The arcade games have beaten her yet again, so she goes back and forth between the bar and the couch in the corner. After the third trip for a water refill she glances at the table, then at Sam's poor confused face, and decides that she's a good, caring friend and takes pity on the blond.

"If you hit his yellow straight at yours over in the corner you can knock it in."

Sebastian immediately shoots her a glare while Sam tips his head to see the line she's described. He finds it quickly enough, makes the shot, and whoops loudly as it pockets while she takes Sebastian's open resentment.

"Lucky shot."

"Hold up," Sam says as the cue ball rolls into a perfect alignment with another of his. "Bam! How's that for lucky?"

He misses the next one, but Abigail stays at the table while they play the rest of the game. She's invested at this point, and she wants to see Sam win at least once this century.

"Okay, Abigail's turn."

Abigail shifts her gaze from the table to Sebastian, who's leaning on his pool cue. "My turn for what?"

"Pick three people from the village to either sleep with, marry, or go on a cruise with," he clarifies, lifting three fingers.

Unfazed by the weird request, Abigail ponders while she sips at her drink. "I guess you two and Maru or Penny for the cruise, since they're the only other two people I talk to enough to want to share a boat with."

Sam laughed while Sebastian tried to seem uninterested in her picks. He might have pulled it off if she didn't know him and his familial hang ups better.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's a game."

"We don't really know that many people though."

"Haley and Alex are hard to get along with," Sebastian adds.

"I know," Sam says as he waits his turn again. "But I wasn't talking about them."

"Everyone else is so different though." Abigail puts aside her empty glass and props herself against the table.

"Yeah, but different can be cool."

Abigail thinks about that while Sebastian cracks several balls into each other, nailing his remaining two into the pockets. "I guess you're right."

-—-—-

Maru thinks that, out of her brother's friend group, Sam might be the smartest of them.

She's gone in to town to pick up fertilizer while her dad watches over one of his experiments when she sees Sam and Sebastian a ways off. Sam catches her eye and politely nods to her wave, but then his eyes go wide and he starts gesturing a little wildly for her to join them.

"Hello," she says a little cautiously, glancing at her brother.

He looks just as confused by Sam's behaviour as she is, slowly pulling out a cigarette from the pack in his hand. He doesn't light it though so Maru doesn't comment, turning her attention back to Sam.

"Hi Maru. So I just thought of the best idea ever. Want to hear it?"

"Sure." She doesn't question why he thought of something after looking at her on her way to Pierre's, knowing full well that inspiration can come from anywhere. "What is it?"

"What if we set up Penny and Abigail on a blind date?"

"Why?" Sebastian says automatically.

"Why not?" Sam counters, "They deserve to be with nice people, and both of them are really nice."

"They're hardly anything alike."

"You don't know that. They both like walking, they like the forest, they both like going to the spa, their birthdays are in Fall, they have…"

Sebastian rolled his eyes as Sam kept listing the subtle but intriguing similarities that existed between the two girls. Penny might be interested enough to give it a try, and Maru thinks Abigail might be the type to give new things a chance. Aesthetically they might not have much in common, but then that's not the important thing at all when it comes to liking someone.

So Maru interrupts Sam to agree that they should do it, they should try to set up the two girls for a blind date together.

"But under the condition that we double check that they'll be comfortable with it first."

"Sure thing," Sam turns to Sebastian and Maru follows his gaze, waiting for the third input.

He watches them carefully, rolling his unlit cigarette between his fingers before shrugging, bringing the little stick to his lips in a way that Maru know is pure habit as this point.

"Alright, we'll do it. But only if we check with them first. I don't want any fall outs or drama."

"Great! So Maru, you cool with talking to Penny?"

"Sure. I'll see her later today."

"Then we'll see Abigail on Friday so we'll ask then."

"If I don't see her at the lake or something first."

"Right," Sam nods. "Then how about we meet here on Saturday, same time?"

"Okay," the siblings say somewhat in sync.

Maru says her goodbyes and continues on with her day, wondering at how she'll bring up such an odd topic to Penny later. But the more she considers the two girls the more it makes sense, and Maru thinks a little prayer in her head to Yoba that this will go smoothly.

-—-—-

Penny isn't surprised when Maru brings up the game Sam questioned her with a few days earlier. It's a small town, and they have mutual friends (family in Maru's case) in common.

"I know it's a silly game, but it kind of makes you think, doesn't it?" Maru says from beside her on the bench.

"It does a bit."

"I like to think I'll meet someone in the city, if I go there with my inventions, or someone like Elliot will come here."

"I'm not sure I would wait for that, but…" Penny sighed and tipped her head back. The sky was cloudless this afternoon, and there were butterflies fluttering abound between the trees and houses. "I don't know anyone that well."

"You'd think dating would be easier in such a small village."

"I get the feeling dating isn't easy, period."

Maru chuckled. "You might be right about that."

When Penny didn't comment further she continued with a slightly conspiring tone.

"I wouldn't be opposed if I was set up with someone. Obviously, I'd have to date them and all that, but if I met someone through a friend I would be okay with that."

"I imagine a lot of people meet like that."

"I'm meaning a blind date."

"Oh." Penny turned to see her friend watching her. After a moment she realized Maru was waiting for an answer to an unspoken question. "Well, that would be fine, too. So long as they know the friend, I suppose."

-—-—-

"How do you feel about blind dates?"

Abigail looks up as Sam scratches his shot, surprised more by the question then the noise. Sebastian misses her look, perhaps purposefully, while he lines up for his next move.

"Never been on one. Or a regular date for that matter, so I guess I don't really have an opinion."

"What about the Flower Dance?" Sam interjects.

"Doesn't count," Sebastian answers for both of them after his ball shoots and somehow misses.

"I guess it's okay if it's not a complete and total stranger. Why?"

Sam says "No reason" at the same time as Sebastian answers "Sam wants to set you up."

"What?" She ignores the way Sam starts sputtering at Sebastian, watching the other boy as he continues to determinedly not look at her.

"Are you cool with it?"

"I guess?"

"Good." Sebastian looks up from the table and makes eye contact with Sam as he says, "You going to take a shot anytime soon?"

Abigail watches as something passes between them, and after the kind of private moment is over Sam shakes his head and smiles like they didn't just have that conversation.

-—-—-

Same place same time means Sebastian leaves before Maru is ready to meet up with Sam, waiting at the spot and having a smoke while the clouds pass overhead. Dark ones are supposed to move in with rain overnight, but for now they're white and fluffy and obscuring some sunlight as the wind blows them along.

Sam joins him and starts talking music while Mayor Lewis walks past, eyeing them as he does but the older man doesn't say anything.

Maru shows up ten minutes later, and if she's put out for him leaving her behind she doesn't look it. She eyes his hand but he makes a show of blowing the smoke away from her, so she turns and greets Sam.

They immediately start making plans for the date, unanimously agreeing that dinner would be easiest and most neutral setting. And romantic, Sebastian agrees begrudgingly. As this point Sebastian wants the best turn out for Abigail and he has no grudge against Penny, so he'd like to see this somewhat sensible plan through.

"Okay, so when?"

"The weather's supposed to be bad tomorrow, so we should probably wait until the day after."

"I thought we could write them instructions in the mail."

"That's perfect, Maru!" Sam smiles. "I'll book the room with Gus. You two take care of the mail."

"Alright." Sebastian drops the butt of his cigarette and crushes it under his heel. "Anything else?"

"We should make sure their schedules are clear. I know Penny watches over the kids some days."

"When is she free?"

Maru tilts her head in thought as Sam perks up and answers for her.

They hash out the rest of the details, weather permitting, and go their separate ways again, Maru to Pierre's, Sam to Joja, and Sebastian back to the mountains to type up the invite.

-—-—-

Penny gets a note in the mail. It reads " _Thursday, 7:00pm, Stardrop Saloon's private dinner room_ " and Penny thinks it might be in Sam's careful writing.

She goes back into her trailer and marks the date on the calendar in her journal, remarking how utterly empty the other days in it are, then she turns to her dresser and wonders if she has any clothes appropriate for a date.

-—-—-

Abigail gets handed a letter from her father, apparently in the mail when he opened the store this morning. She takes it to her room before opening it, and when she does she falters a moment as she reads off a date, time, and location.

It takes her a moment to realize what it is before she smiles apprehensively to herself.

-—-—-

Penny does her best not to fidget as she sits in the candlelit room, reminding her hands to lay flat on her lap as she catches them tugging at her dress. Gus had anonymously led her to the back of the saloon where a table set for two was placed. He pulled a seat out for her, poured water, and offered Penny a drink menu. She politely glanced over it when he left for something to do, but placed it back on the centre of the table before long.

Between the nervousness and the heat of the candles Penny had undone the buttons on her light cardigan, alternating between pushing up her sleeves and rubbing them down again. The door opened as she was sipping the lemon water as a break from the fidgety habit, revealing Gus with his head turned away from her. As the door swung further into the room Penny was greeted with the identity of her date for the night.

She smiled. "Hello Abigail."

"Hi, Penny."

The other girl was dressed in a jean jacket and a dark dress, put together in a manner Penny suspects was not unlike her own – wear something a little nicer than the average day but not too enthusiastic. Abigail seemed relaxed enough, hands casually in her pockets, but the line of her shoulders looked a little too sharp. Penny realized her own posture was suffering from nerves and tried to emulate a sense of ease towards their date.

Gus mirrored his actions from earlier for Abigail, then handed them each a dinner menu as Abigail listed off a wine. He left to fetch the bottle and let them browse.

"How was your day, Abigail?"

"Not bad," she replied, glancing up from her menu. "Went for a walk around town. It was nice."

"That's good. It was a lovely day today."

"How was your?" Abigail asks, leaning over her menu and into the conversation.

They got to chatting over their menus, talking about the upcoming Luau and Evelyn's flowers, sharing a chuckle over the Mayor's excitability for the festivals. Gus returned to pour Abigail's wine and take their orders, then retreated once more.

"So, whose idea do you think it was to set this up?"

"Sam's," Penny answered confidently. "Although I believe Maru had a hand in it."

"Sebastian, too," Abigail nodded. "Though I don't mind. They have good intentions."

"I agree. I appreciate their concerns."

It was, if anything, a companionable dinner, and Abigail was a little surprised by how easy they got along. Not that anyone would claim Penny was a difficult person, but Abigail was expecting to have less to say as the evening progressed. If anything they stumbled over more topics to cover, ranging from their favourite books in the museum, their favourite spot in the forest to rest, to Abigail's flute and Penny's tutoring.

They briefly touched on their parents and for different reasons between them they don't linger on family. Instead they shifted to what they want to do with themselves when they might get the chance to leave home.

"I want to go someplace else. Not Zuzu City, but somewhere different, exciting."

Penny sits back, clearing her throat with water. "I sometimes feel the same way. The valley is nice, but…"

"But the valley isn't everything," Abigail offers and Penny nods. "There's more that we read about and hear about – like the book on crystal pyramids and ice spires. And I just want to see it for myself, you know?"

"I know." Penny used to flip through the pages of that book and marvel at the pictures.

"I've tried convincing the boys to go with me, but they always want to go to Zuzu City. Which I guess is exciting but it's not, you know," Abigail waved her hand uselessly as she struggled with the exact words.

"A natural wonder of the world?"

"Yeah!" Abigail's eye lit up and Penny's do something similar, like kindred spirits found.

"Man-made constructs are marvels in themselves, but when something is built on its own, after hundreds or thousands of years, it's more breathtaking."

"Yeah," Abigail half-sighs, and her heart beat speeds up with the thought that she's finally met someone who gets it.

"Maybe we should talk more about this, and make a day out of it?"

Abigail nods, realizing that Penny had finished her meal and her own plate was almost empty. "I'd love to."

Penny sips at her water and makes idle chatter about the weather while Abigail finishes her dinner. Gus pops back in with impeccable timing, inquiring about dessert. With a little insistence on Abigail's part they share a slice of cake.

They leave the room pleasantly happy and full, Gus waving them off and wishing the pair a goodnight as they stop at the bar to pay on the way out.

It's dark with most of the house lights off as the evening crept into night beyond their shared dinner room, the sun now completely gone and the stars fully out. Fireflies are flocking around bushes and trees when they step out of the saloon, their glow fading and pulsing in a sparse lightshow. Abigail offered her hand to Penny, telling the brunette she'd walk her home.

"You don't have to do that," Penny says, but she does place her hand in Abigail's.

"I want to."

Their hands fit together easily, Abigail's rougher, no doubt due to her sword work she'd confessed to earlier, and Penny's dry from turning the thousands of pages in hundreds of books. They walk the short distance in silence, appreciating the sounds of nature around them – between the crickets chirping, an owl hooting, and the distant waves lapping at the beach there was plenty to fill the quiet between them.

Stopping at the trailer brought about a flush of embarrassment for Penny, but either Abigail couldn't see her blushing or she was kindly neglecting to draw attention to it.

"I had a great time," she says instead.

"Me too," Penny replies, her hand still in Abigail's.

"I have to help dad at the store tomorrow morning, but do you want to do something?"

"I'm going to be watching Vincent and Jas, but I'm free Sunday."

"Sunday it is then." Abigail drops Penny's hand, pocketing hers in her jacket. Penny folds hers in front of her politely, and they stand across from each other for a moment before Abigail steps closer. She presses her lips to Penny's cheek, their faces warm, but when Abigail pulls away Penny is wearing a soft smile that is instantly reciprocated.


End file.
